The Harbingerngr News

^Says no substantial issue established to warrant a stop ^Calls on stakeholders to support implementation  ^Fix the law first, PDP urges presidencylNECA endorses takeoff, says delay ‘crime against Nigeria President Bola Tinubu has said that the new tax laws, including those that took effect on June 26, 2025, and the remaining acts scheduled to commence on January 1, 2026, will be implemented as planned. This came as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, renewed its call for suspension of  commencement date of the new Tax Act, citing discrepancies between the harmonised version passed by the National Assembly and the version later gazetted, which it said have raised serious public concern nationwide. The President said all the concerns raised have been noted but added that no substantial issue has been established that should warrant a disruption of the reform process.  Tinubu in a statement, said: “The new tax laws, including those that took effect on June 26, 2025, and the ...

•Group demands sack of Osun Amotekun leaders FOLLOWING Christmas Day airstrikes carried out by the United States’ military in Sokoto State, the Ondo State security outfit, codenamed Amotekun, yesterday, said it has arrested 39 suspected bandits who fled Sokoto State. Parading 100 suspected criminals arrested across the state, the Amotekun Commander, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, said that the 39 suspected bandits claimed they fled from Sokoto State. Adeleye said that after escaping from the North, they relocated to the forests in Ondo State. The Amotekun Commander said: “Some days ago, 39 suspects were arrested, claiming that as a result of the heat turned on them in the northern part of the country, they are relocating into the forest.  “We are still profiling them; after the profiling, we may have to send them back, but those found with incriminating equipment and materials will surely be prosecuted. “The state government has made its position known. For you to stay in our forest areas...

•Some members of Anthony Joshua's family.   *Tyre burst caused car accident — Police *No plan to fly him out — Source ^British envoy, govs visit boxer in hospital  ^He’s recuperating — Gov Abiodun  ^Senators Adeola, Natasha sympathise with Joshua ^Call for highway safety reforms FOLLOWING the road accident involving heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Joshua, and three others, which claimed the lives of two of his associates, his family, yesterday, expressed deep shock and sadness over the incident. Joshua was involved in the fatal crash, on Monday, along the Makun axis, before Danco Filling Station, near the Sagamu Interchange on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. The accident, which occurred around midday, involved a Toyota Lexus SUV conveying Joshua and three other passengers. Two of the occupants died and were identified as Ayodele Kelvin Olu, 36, a Nigerian-British citizen, and Gami Sina, 36, a British citizen. Speaking with newsmen at the Joshua family residence in the I...

TWO people reportedly died and several others injured following fireworks explosion during Christmas carnival in Umuchu, Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State at the weekend. The explosion was said to have occurred near the main stage of the event during the celebration, forcing the guests to scamper for safety.   The fireworks were allegedly packed in cartons and were meant to be disposed off at the event. According to an eye witness, one of the victims, identified only as Ugochi, reportedly died on the spot, while another was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she also died. There were fears that the death toll might rise, as many of the injured persons who sustained serious burns and deep cuts are in serious danger. “The knockout exploded like a bomb. Those closest to the stage collapsed immediately. The sound was deafening, and chaos erupted everywhere as people screamed for help”, the eye witness said. A trending video showed thick smoke in the hall and many peopl...

“Christmas Day, a season of joy, laughter and family togetherness, became the darkest day of my life. Instead of celebrating, I watched as my 32-year-old only child was snatched from me.” This was the lamentation of Mrs. Chinyere Emeagi, whose only son, Amauche  Ezeji, was shot dead by a yet-to-be-identified gunman at about 8pm on December 25, 2025, in the Askaka Road area of Kwale, Ndokwa West Local Government Area of Delta State. The deceased, according to his mother, had taken his pregnant wife to his grandmother’s home for the Yuletide celebration. Narrating the incident, Mrs. Emeagi, who is yet to come to terms with her son’s demise, said: “Amauche Lucky Ezeji, was my only child, my hope and my future. He only wanted to do what any responsible husband would do :  drop his pregnant wife at his grandmother’s house so the family could celebrate together. “We were all together when he received a phone call. He told us he would be back shortly and rushed out. That was the last...

  A section of Arena Market, Bolade, Oshodi, Lagos State, went up in flames, yesterday, destroying goods whose monetary value could not be immediately estimated. The fire, said to have occurred about 5:30p.m., is the second market fire incident recorded in six days, with the first fire  at the Great Nigeria Insurance Building on Martins Street, Lagos Island, still raging. According to the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, the Arena fire affected a section of the market consisting of five 40-foot container shops arranged in two rows, making a total of 10 shops. The affected area was primarily used for the storage and sale of clothing materials, which were reportedly stocked in bales. Controller General of Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, explained that the agency “received a distress call at 5:50p.m., prompting immediate deployment of firefighting units. Crews from Bolade, Ilupeju, Ikeja, and Alausa Fire Stations arrived on the scene within five minutes...

FOLLOWING the implementation of the Tax Act, banks will start charging senders a N50 stamp duty on electronic transfers of N10,000 and above from January 1, 2026. The stamp duty or electronic money transfer levy (EMTL) is a single, one-off charge of N50 on electronic receipt or transfer of money deposited in any commercial money bank or financial institution on any type of account on sums of N10,000 and above. In an email sent to customers on Tuesday, the United Bank for Africa, UBA, said the N50 electronic money transfer levy (EMTL) on transfers will now be referred to as stamp duty across all financial institutions. “Please note the following: Stamp Duty applies to transactions of N10,000 and above  (or the equivalent in other currencies),” the email reads. Salary payments and Intra-bank self-transfers are exempted from stamp duty. “The Sender now bears the Stamp Duty charge.  Previously, this charge was deducted from the Beneficiary/ Receiver.” The bank said it remains comm...

THE Office of the Tax Ombudsman of Nigeria will commence full operations on January 1, 2026. This was disclosed in a statement by Chukwudi Achife, Chief Press Secretary to the Tax Ombudsman/Chief Executive Officer, CEO, Dr. John Nwabueze. Nwabueze was recently appointed by President Bola Tinubu as the pioneer Tax Ombudsman and CEO of the Tax Ombudsman Announcing the appointment, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, had stated that the office was established to strengthen transparency and accountability within the tax system, enhance confidence in tax administration, while also providing a structured mechanism for the fair and impartial resolution of disputes between taxpayers and revenue authorities. According to Onanuga, the Office of the Tax Ombudsman “will receive, review, and resolve complaints about taxes, levies, regulatory fees, customs duties, excise matters, and other related issues in accordance with extant laws and regulations,” The...

A large-scale tragedy was narrowly averted on December 28, 2025, following a road traffic crash involving a laden petroleum tanker and five other vehicles between St. Louis College and the Polo Field Club Roundabout in Jos, Plateau State. The crash, which occurred around 6:49 p.m., was reported to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), whose personnel immediately mobilised for rescue operations. A total of 18 persons were involved in the incident. Two adult males lost their lives on the spot, while 16 others sustained injuries and were rushed to the Plateau State Specialist Hospital and Bingham University Teaching Hospital (BUTH) for medical attention. The bodies of the deceased were deposited at BUTH. Eyewitnesses said the tanker experienced brake failure shortly after the Plateau State Specialist Hospital Roundabout and descended uncontrollably before crashing into several vehicles. To prevent a possible fire outbreak, sister security and emergency agencies swiftly cordoned off the ar...

...while returning from colleague’s wedding NO fewer than seven journalists, mostly attached to the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, have died in an auto crash in Gombe State while returning from a colleague’s wedding. The accident occurred along the Billiri–Gombe Road when one of the tyres of their bus reportedly burst, causing the vehicle to crash. The Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, has confirmed the incident, stating that seven members of the NUJ lost their lives, while four others sustained serious injuries in the lone accident. The Gombe State Sector Commander of the FRSC, Mr Samson Kaura, said a total of 11 persons were involved. He said: “The crash occurred on Monday evening as the journalists were returning from a wedding ceremony in the Gombe South Senatorial District. “The victims were part of a delegation that had travelled to honour a colleague, an employee of the Nigerian Television Authority, who was getting married.” ...

 *Rushed to Duchess Hospital, 2 aides dead *We thought it was a bomb-blast — Eye-witnesses lWe pray for his recovery — Joshua’s family *Jake Paul goes spiritual, prays for boxer *I spoke on phone with Anthony Joshua, mom — Tinubu  *Atiku, Ogun govt mourn victims of accident FORMER world heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Joshua, narrowly escaped death in a ghastly road accident that occurred around the Sinoma/Makun axis, near Sagamu, along the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway in Ogun State. However, two foreign nationals, whose identities were withheld, lost their lives in the crash. The incident occurred while the 36-year-old boxer and his friends, who had travelled with him from abroad, were returning to Shagamu from Lagos, shortly after Joshua posted on his Instagram page, where he was seen playing table tennis. Sources that the former two-time unified WBO, IBF and WBA heavyweight champion and his driver, are undergoing treatment at Duchess international Hospital in Ikeja, Lagos. ...

Efunroye Tinubu THE Sole   Administrator of the estate of late Madam Efunroye Tinubu, Chief Akindele Adamakin, has called on the Federal Government to confer a posthumous national honour on the legendary 19th-century businesswoman, describing her as one of the most influential women in West African history. Adamakin made the call in Lagos during the 138th anniversary remembrance of Madam Tinubu, organised by Adamakin Investments and Works Limited as part of its end-of-year celebration. Speaking at the event, Adamakin said Madam Efunroye Tinubu’s contributions to commerce, politics and territorial expansion in Lagos and Abeokuta remained largely unrecognised at the national level, despite their historical significance. “Her contributions stand unparalleled. The lands occupied today by political leaders were genuinely acquired through purchase and conquest long before the height of colonialism. “In another nation, she would be canonised. Her tomb in Abeokuta could rival major global ...

AHEAD of the 2027 general elections, the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Lagos State has announced plans to commence the electronic registration and revalidation of its members, beginning from January 5, 2026. The exercise is to establish a comprehensive database of its members across the state. The Chairman of the party, Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi, disclosed this at the weekend, during a media briefing held at the party’s secretariat, Acme, Ogba in Lagos State. Ojelabi said: “The initiative is aimed at improving planning and ensuring that committed members are properly identified and rewarded. “We want to have a proper and accurate statistical data of our membership strength so that we can go into the next general elections in 2027 fully prepared. We need statistical data of our actual members. “The party’s National Executive Council has resolved that membership must be meaningful.” Stressing the importance of voter participation, he said members without Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, ...

THE Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has sued the 36 state governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Mr Nyesom Wike over their failure to account for the spending of the N14 trillion fuel subsidy savings they collected from Federation Account Allocation Committee, FAAC allocations, including details of projects executed with the money, and the completion reports on the projects. The suit followed reports that the 36 governors and the FCT minister have collected trillions of naira from FAAC allocations as fuel subsidy savings since mid-2023. In a suit filed on behalf of SERAP by its lawyers, Oluwakemi Agunbiade and Valentina Adegoke, last Friday at the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, the organisation is asking the court to “direct and compel the governors and Mr Wike to disclose the details of the spending of the increased FAAC allocations being savings from the removal of fuel subsidy in May 2023.” SERAP is also asking the court to...

From left: President Tinubu and Governor Sanwo-Olu. . •Calls for urgent intervention  THE Lagos State  government has called on the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Works, to fix the deteriorating condition of the Apapa Bridge and adjoining road networks to prevent a looming safety and economic crisis within the port corridor.  Addressing newsmen in Lagos, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s Senior Special Assistant on Transportation and Logistics, Mr Adekoya Hassan, noted that Apapa remains a critical gateway to the nation’s economy and the primary exit route for goods, tankers and commuters accessing the Lagos Port Complex. Hassan said urgent steps must be taken by the Ministry of Works to prevent a collapse of the bridge. He said: “We are concerned about the outbound heavy duty truck traffic from this terminal. If this road is fixed 10 times, we’ll still have the same result which is the collapse. It is the only exit road from Apapa, Lagos port; the current road h...

•Nigeria, America assess terrorist sites' destruction in Sokoto Following the Christmas Day strikes on terrorists' sites in Sokoto State by the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), American and Nigerian military authorities are still assessing the extent of damage inflicted on locations believed to house the Lakurawa terror group. US President, Donald Trump, described the operation as "perfect strikes." Nigeria's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, said on Friday that the strikes, carried out amid diplomatic tensions after Trump accused Nigeria of failing to protect Christians, were "part of joint ongoing operations." Similarly, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the strikes targeted two major ISIS camps within the Bauni Forest in Tangaza Local Government Area of Sokoto State. He explained that the precision strikes were launched from maritime platforms in the Gulf of Guinea after extensive intelligence g...

President Tinubu and President Trump. No casualties in Bargini – Lawmaker Effect of strikes in other locations uncertain Tinubu approved the strikes - Tuggar Vanguard visits Bargini, speaks with villagers We thought it was a plane crash—Residents Our sovereignty has not been breached — Retired Generals No casualty, I expected attack to hit Turji, the terrorist—Ladan Salihu No ISIS in Bargini, no casualty recorded — Sokoto lawmaker We should watch movements of fleeing terrorists to the South — Rear Admiral Olisemelogor  UNITED States of America  President, Donald Trump, Thursday night made good his threat of striking terrorists in Nigeria after declaring Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern. US missile landed in Bargini village in Jabo ward of Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto. High-level security sources said that the US shot about 16 missiles and three terrorists’ camps were hit. One of the places hit was Bargini in Jabo Ward, Tambuwal LGA  where a member of...